Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before purchasing our common stock. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you may lose some or all of your investment. Other events that we do not currently anticipate or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Business, Operations and Growth
We operate in highly competitive industries, and if we are unable to compete successfully it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business is rapidly evolving and intensely competitive, and we have many competitors across what we define as the Sleep Economy, including in the mattress, soft goods, and bedroom furniture industries, as well as in non-traditional sleep categories, such as sleep technology, sleep services, and sleep supplements. Our competition with respect to these offerings includes: department and furniture stores, big-box retailers, specialty retailers, and online, direct-to-consumer mattress, and other home goods retailers and online marketplaces. Our core offerings compete with new and established manufacturers, direct-to-consumer companies, and white label in-house brands offered by some large retail chains, online retailers, and department stores. We believe that our ability to compete successfully depends upon many factors both within and beyond our control, including:
• the size and composition of our customer base;
• the number of products and services we feature on our website, in our retail stores, and through our third-party retail partners (including how our products are positioned in the retail partnership channel);
• our selling and marketing efforts;
• the quality, consumer appeal, price, and reliability of products and services offered by us;
• the convenience and appeal of the shopping experiences that we provide;
• cost-effective access to raw materials and components;
• our ability to find reliable and cost-effective suppliers of our products and services;
• our ability to introduce new products and services;
• our ability to continually improve and iterate on our existing product lines and services;
• our ability to distribute our products and manage our inventory and operations; and
• our reputation and brand strength.
In addition, retailers in the United States and internationally have integrated vertically in certain of the industries in which we operate, particularly as it relates to mattresses, and it is possible that such vertical integration may create circumstances that would negatively impact our net revenue and results of operations. Although we are pursuing a strategy to vertically integrate, we may not be successful in pursuing this strategy, which may make our products less desirable than products produced by our competitors who have complete control over the manufacturing process and the quality of their products. The highly competitive nature of the industries in which we operate means we are continually subject to the risk of loss of market share, loss of key retail partners, reductions in margins, and the inability to acquire new customers.
Also, some of our current competitors have, and potential competitors may have, longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, larger fulfillment infrastructures, greater resources and technical capabilities, faster and less costly shipping, significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources and larger customer bases than we do. These factors may allow our competitors to derive greater net revenue and profits from their existing customer base, capture market share from us, acquire customers at lower costs, or respond more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in consumer preferences or habits. These competitors may engage in more extensive research and development efforts, undertake more impactful marketing campaigns, and adopt more aggressive pricing strategies, which may allow them to build larger customer bases or generate net revenue from their customer bases more effectively than we do. For example, we compete with large retailers, such as Amazon and Wal-Mart, who have house brands that offer competing sleep products and who also have significantly greater scale and more sophisticated distribution operations than we do, a longer track record of successfully building trusted brands, technical capabilities and significantly more financial resources. to compete in the industries in which we operate could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Our business depends on the strength of our brand, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand, we may be unable to sell our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our brand name and image are integral to the growth of our business and to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. We believe that our brand image has significantly contributed to the success of our business and is critical to maintaining and expanding our customer base. Maintaining and enhancing our brand may require us to make substantial investments in areas such as research and development, marketing, e-commerce, and customer experience and these investments may not be successful.
We anticipate that, as our business expands into new markets and new product categories, and as the industries in which we operate become increasingly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brand may become difficult and expensive. For example, consumers in any new international markets into which we expand may not know our brand and/or may not accept our brand, resulting in increased costs to market and attract customers to our brand. Further, as we grow our retail partnerships, it may be difficult for us to maintain control of our brand with our retail partners, which may result in negative perceptions of our brand. Our brand may also be adversely affected if our public image or reputation is tarnished by negative publicity, including negative social media campaigns or poor reviews of our products or customer experiences. In addition, ineffective marketing, product diversion to unauthorized distribution channels, product , labor practices, and to protect our intellectual property rights are some of the potential to the of our brand, and those and other factors could rapidly and consumer confidence in us. Maintaining and our brand will depend largely on our ability to continue to be a leader in the industries in which we operate and to continue to offer a range of high-quality products as well as a end-to-end experience to our customers, which we may not execute . to maintain the of our brand could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we are unable to successfully implement our growth strategies related to launching new products, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Each year we invest significant time and resources in research and development to improve and expand our product offerings, introduce new technologies to customers, support our sales channels, and generate consumer interest and engagement. In 2020, we launched several new products, including our newest generation of Casper mattresses, percale sheeting line, Casper Repose and Casper Haven bed frames, and down alternative duvet. In addition, from time to time, we also update existing product lines. Launching new products can involve a significant investment in advertising and public relations campaigns. There are also certain risks involved in launching new products, including increased costs in the near term associated with the introduction of new product lines and training of our employees in new manufacturing processes and sales techniques, development delays, failure of new products to achieve anticipated levels of market acceptance, the possibility of increased competition with our current products, and unrecovered costs associated with failed product or service introductions. Implementation of these plans may also divert management's attention from other aspects of our business and place a strain on management, operational and financial resources, as well as our information systems. Launching new products or updating existing products may also leave us with inventory that we may not be to sell or we may sell at significantly discounted prices and a lower profit margin. For example, in 2020, we engaged in clearance sales and discounting on older models of our products, including through the introduction of a clearance section on our website. Our plans to optimize such inventory may result in sales at such discounted prices, which may have a impact on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, as we expand into new markets, we may not accurately predict consumer preferences in that market, which could result in lower than expected sales.
Additionally, launching new products requires substantial investments in research and development. Investments in research and development are inherently speculative and require substantial capital and other expenditures. Unforeseen obstacles and challenges that we encounter in the research and development process could result in delays or the abandonment of plans to launch new products and may substantially increase development costs.
If we are unable to maintain the high product-quality standards expected by our customers when we launch new products, or if our competitors are able to produce higher quality or more accessible products, our sales may be harmed. Should this occur, we may need to increase our investments in research and development and manufacturing processes, lower our prices or take other measures to address any loss of sales, which could increase our expenses, reduce our margins and/or negatively impact our brand and our ability to execute our overall pricing and promotion strategy.
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We may not be successful in executing our growth strategy related to launching new products, and even if we achieve such plan, we may not be able to achieve profitability. Failure to successfully launch new products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our growth strategy involves expansion of our retail partnerships, which presents risks and challenges to our business.
Our retail partnerships have only recently evolved, and we have limited operating experience executing our retail strategy, which we began pursuing in 2015. This strategy has and will continue to require significant investment in cross-functional operations and management focus, along with investment in supporting technologies.
Most of our retail partnership arrangements are by purchase order or are terminable at will with limited or no notice and since we have a limited operating history with our retail partners, we may not be able to accurately forecast their product needs and our resulting revenue. We are also exposed to the seasonality of our retail partners' businesses, which impacts their frequency and volume of product orders. A substantial decrease or interruption in business from our key retail partners could result in a reduction in net revenue, an increase in bad debt expense or the loss of future business, any of which could impair our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Further, if our retail partners seek bankruptcy protection, they could act to terminate all or a portion of their business with us or originate new business with our competitors, which could impair our results of operations. Any loss of revenue from our key retail partners, including as a result of the non-payment or payment of our invoices, could have an effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our retail partners may not have a history of selling mattresses or other sleep products, which may make it more difficult for certain retail partners to market our products effectively. Educating and training our retail partners on our products and brand may consume a significant portion of our management's time and attention, which could delay our ability to launch retail partnerships in an expedient and cost-effective manner. We also have a limited operating history with our retail partnerships, which may make it more difficult for us to onboard new retail partners.
We may not always be able to negotiate arrangements with our retail partners that align with our pricing strategy. Retail partnership arrangements that do not align with our pricing strategy in our other sales channels may result in lower sales in our direct-to-consumer channels, which may be more profitable.
In addition, our retail partners may reduce their number of stores or operations or consolidate, undergo restructurings or reorganizations, realign their affiliations or promote products of our competitors over ours or liquidate. These events may result in a decrease in the number of stores or e-commerce platforms that carry our products, an increase in the ownership concentration in the retail industry and/or our being required to record significant bad debt expense and write-offs. Our retail partners may also decide to carry only a limited number of brands of sleep products, which could affect our ability to sell our products to them on favorable terms, if at all. If any of our key retail partners experience financial difficulty or insolvency, we may experience reduced sales of our products or we could have difficulty recovering amounts owed to us from these retail partners, resulting in lower revenue and gross margins, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected, and could continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rapidly evolve. At this time, there continues to be significant volatility and uncertainty relating to the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and the various responses to it will impact our business, operations and financial results. We currently have third-party manufacturing partners in various locations, including China, Mexico, Vietnam and the United States, among others. Certain of our suppliers and the manufacturers of certain of our products have been and may continue to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we have faced and may continue to face delays or difficulty sourcing products, which has negatively affected and could continue to negatively affect our business and financial results. Even if we are able to find alternate sources for such products, they may cost more, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. With respect to consumer demand, we have experienced changing consumer behavior in our direct-to-consumer channel since late February 2020, including a significant reduction in retail foot traffic due to restrictions on retail businesses and shifting consumer preferences in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected our revenue. While we have been to open and operate all of our 69 total retail stores in North America as of the date of this filing, the situation surrounding COVID-19 remains fluid, and we may be required to close or limit service offerings in certain of our retail stores in response to guidance from applicable government and public health officials, which we expect will affect our revenue. The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused us to
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cancel planned openings of new retail store locations and certain of our retail partners to temporarily close their stores where our products are sold, both of which has and we expect will further reduce our revenue and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, operations and financial condition, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we implemented an employee furlough program initially applicable to almost all of our retail employees, reduced our corporate personnel by approximately 21%, wound down our European operations, and ceased or reduced rent payments to a majority of our retail store landlords during the closure period for each of our retail store locations. While the majority of our negotiations with our landlord regarding rent deferrals and abatements have been resolved as of the date of this filing, there can be no assurances that we will favorably resolve the remainder of our negotiations with our landlords, and all or some of these landlords could claim that our failure to pay rent is a default under the applicable lease. In addition, due to the severity of the outbreak in New York and California, where we have corporate offices, we continue to limit access to our offices and our corporate workforce has and continues to spend a significant amount of time working from home. Any of these actions, as well as the potential for additional employee furlough programs or reductions in given the uncertainty in the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, may impact our employees’ morale and productivity and cause to our retail and corporate operations.
While the ultimate global economic impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to assess or predict, the economic downturn caused by the pandemic has caused and could continue to cause certain of our suppliers or retail partners to go out of business or otherwise cause supply chain and distribution constraints, result in increased costs or delays in the manufacturing of our products, or negatively impact consumers’ ability or willingness to pay for our products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the transmission rate of the disease, the duration and extent of the pandemic, travel and social distancing restrictions in North America, the duration and extent of business closures and business disruptions, and the effectiveness of actions taken to contain, treat and prevent the disease.
Our future growth and profitability depend on the effectiveness and efficiency of our marketing programs.
We are highly dependent on the effectiveness of our marketing programs and the efficiency of our related expenditures in generating consumer awareness and sales of our products. We rely on a combination of paid and non-paid advertising and public relations efforts to market our products.
Our paid advertising efforts consist of online channels, including search engine marketing, display advertising, and paid social media, as well as more traditional forms of advertising, such as direct mail and television advertisements. These efforts are expensive and may not result in the cost-effective acquisition of customers. We cannot assure you that the net profit from new customers we acquire will ultimately exceed the cost of acquiring those customers. We also utilize non-paid advertising. Our non-paid advertising efforts include search engine optimization, non-paid social media and email.
Moreover, we rely in part upon third parties, such as search engines, social media influencers, and product reviewers, for both paid and unpaid services, and we are unable to fully control their efforts. We obtain a significant amount of traffic via search engines and, therefore, rely on search engines such as Google. Search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user's search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our site can be negatively affected. Moreover, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its algorithms or results in a manner that negatively affects our paid or non-paid search ranking, and competitive dynamics could impact the effectiveness of search engine marketing or search engine optimization. We also obtain a significant amount of traffic via social networking websites or other channels used by our current and prospective customers. As e-commerce and social networking continue to rapidly evolve, we must continue to establish relationships with these channels and may be unable to develop or maintain these relationships on acceptable terms. If we are unable to cost-effectively drive traffic to our sites, our ability to acquire new customers and our financial condition would .
In addition, the number of third-party providers of consumer product reviews, consumer recommendations, and referrals is growing across industries and may influence consumers. Negative or no reviews from such third parties may receive widespread attention from consumers, which could damage our reputation and brand value and result in lower sales. Influencers with whom we maintain relationships could also engage in behavior or use their platforms to communicate directly with our customers in a manner that reflects poorly on our brand and may be attributed to us or otherwise adversely affect us. It is not possible to prevent such behavior, and the precautions we take to detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. If we are unable to effectively manage relationships with such reviewers to promote accurate reviews of our products, reviewers may
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decline to review our products or may post reviews with misleading information, which could damage our reputation and make it more difficult for us to sustain or improve our brand value. Moreover, if any of the third parties on which we rely were to cease operations, temporarily or permanently, face financial distress or other business disruption, we could suffer increased costs and delays in their ability to provide similar services until an equivalent service provider could be found, or until we could develop replacement technology or operations, any of which could also have an adverse impact on our business and financial performance.
We continue to evolve our marketing strategies, adjusting our messages, the amount we spend on advertising and where we spend it with no assurance that we will be successful in developing future effective messages and in achieving efficiency in our marketing and advertising expenditures. Our marketing activities and the marketing activities of any third parties on which we rely are subject to various types of regulations, including laws relating to the protection of personal information, consumer protection and competition. In addition, the regulatory environment surrounding the use of data is increasingly demanding. In recent years, lawmakers and regulators have expressed concern over the use of third-party cookies and similar technologies for online targeted advertising. Moreover, user data protection and communication-based laws may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and these laws continue to develop in ways we cannot predict and that may adversely affect our business. Complying with these varying requirements could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner with adverse effects on our business, and of privacy-related laws can result in significant . These developments, including in the way these laws are interpreted, could our ability, or the ability of third parties on which we rely, to collect user information, including personal data and usage information, that helps us provide more targeted advertising to our current and prospective consumers, which could affect our business, particularly given our use of cookies and similar technologies to target our marketing and personalize the consumer experience. See "— to comply with federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection, or the expansion of current or the enactment of new laws or regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection, could affect our business and our financial condition."
If our marketing programs and related expenditures are ineffective or are inefficient in creating and increasing awareness of our products and brand, in driving consumer traffic to our websites and stores and in motivating customers to purchase our products, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have grown rapidly in recent years. If we are unable to manage our operations at our current size or to manage any future growth effectively, the pace of our growth may slow.
We have expanded our operations rapidly since our founding in 2014. In 2014, we launched our e-commerce platform in the United States and Canada, followed by the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, in 2016. We launched our first retail concept in Los Angeles in 2015, followed by permanent retail stores in San Francisco and New York in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and as of December 31, 2020 we had 67 retail stores across the United States and Canada. Our revenue increased from $439.3 million in 2019 to $497.0 million in 2020, an increase of 13.1%.
Although our European operations wound down in 2020, we continue to focus on expanding our operations North America and may plan to expand outside of North America in the future. If our operations are to continue to grow, of which there can be no assurance, we will be required to continue to (i) expand our sales and marketing, digital and technology teams, research and development, customer and commercial strategy, product offerings, supply, and manufacturing and distribution functions, (ii) upgrade our management information systems and other processes, and (iii) obtain more space for our expanding administrative support and other personnel. Our continued growth could increase the strain on our resources, and we could experience operating difficulties, including difficulties in hiring, training, and managing an increasing number of employees, finding manufacturing capacity to produce our products, and delays in production and shipments. These difficulties may result in the erosion of our brand image, divert the attention of management and key employees and impact financial and operational results. In addition, in order to continue to expand our direct-to-consumer presence and retail partnerships, we expect to continue to add selling and general and administrative expenses to our operating profile. If we are to drive commensurate growth, these costs, which include lease commitments, headcount and capital assets, could result in decreased margins.
We have a history of losses and could continue to have operating losses and negative cash flow as we continue to expand our business.
We have a history of losses. We incurred net losses of $89.6 million, and $93.0 million in 2020, and 2019, respectively, and had $414.8 million in accumulated deficit through December 31, 2020. Because we have a short operating history at scale, particularly in our own and third-party retail sales channels, it is difficult for us to predict our future operating results. As a result, our losses may be larger than anticipated, and we may not achieve profitability when expected, or at all.
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Also, we expect our operating expenses to increase over the next several years as we further increase marketing spend, open additional retail stores, hire more employees, continue to develop new products and services, and expand internationally. These efforts may be more costly than we expect and may not result in increased revenue or growth in our business. Any failure to increase our revenue sufficiently to keep pace with our investments and other expenses could prevent us from achieving or maintaining profitability or positive cash flow on a consistent basis. Furthermore, if our future growth and operating performance fail to meet investor or analyst expectations, or if we have future negative cash flow or losses resulting from our investment in acquiring new customers or expanding our business, our business, financial condition, and operating results may be materially adversely affected.
We have a limited operating history and, as a result, our past results may not be indicative of future operating performance.
We have a limited operating history with the current scale of our business, which makes it difficult to forecast our future results, particularly with respect to our own and third-party retail channels, which we have only recently developed. You should not rely on our past annual or quarterly results of operations as indicators of future performance. You should consider and evaluate our prospects in light of the risks and uncertainty frequently encountered by companies like ours. See "—We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations due to seasonality and other factors, which could make sequential quarter to quarter comparison an unreliable indication of our performance."
If we fail to attract new customers, or retain existing customers, or fail to do either in a cost-effective manner, we may not be able to increase sales.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to attract new, and retain existing, customers in a cost-effective manner. We have made, and we expect that we will continue to make, significant investments in attracting and retaining customers, including through traditional, digital, and social media and through developing original Casper content. Marketing campaigns can be expensive and may not result in the cost-effective acquisition, or retention, of customers. Further, as our brand becomes more widely known, future marketing campaigns may not attract new or retain customers at the same rate as past campaigns. If we are unable to attract new customers, and retain existing customers, our business will be harmed.
The market for sleep products and services as a retail category is still emerging and if it does not continue to grow, if it grows more slowly than expected or if it does not achieve the growth potential we expect, or if we do not succeed in becoming a leader or maintaining our leadership in this category, our brand, business, financial condition, or results of operations could be adversely affected.
The market for sleep products and services as a distinct retail category continues to evolve, and it is uncertain whether the demand for our sleep products and services will continue to grow and achieve wide market acceptance. Our success will depend in significant part on the willingness of consumers to continue to invest in sleep products and services as a retail category and to view these products and services as part of a distinct business category that we call the Sleep Economy. If consumers do not continue to accept sleep as a wellness and a retail category or perceive our products to be beneficial, whether as a result of experiences with our product line or otherwise, then the market for sleep products and services may not develop further, may develop more slowly than we expect, or may not achieve the growth potential that we expect, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our brand, business, financial condition, and results of operations. Moreover, even if the market for sleep develops, we may not succeed in our plan to become the category leader.
Our efforts to protect and maintain our intellectual property may not be successful. Competitors have attempted and will likely continue to attempt to imitate our products and technology. We may not be able to prevent competitors from developing similar products or from marketing in a manner that capitalizes on our intellectual property. If we are unable to protect or preserve our intellectual property, our business may be harmed, and if our products or marketing violate the intellectual property rights of others, we may have liability and may be required to change our products and business practices.
Our intellectual property is important to the design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of our products and services, and protecting our intellectual property rights and combating the unlicensed copy or use of our intellectual property can be difficult. We attempt to protect our intellectual property rights, both in the United States and abroad, through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure and invention assignment agreements with our consultants and employees and seek to control access to, and distribution of, our proprietary information.
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Further, we license certain intellectual property from third parties. For example, while most of our product design is developed in-house, certain foam formulations are currently licensed from certain of our contract manufacturers pursuant to our manufacturing agreements with them, some of which include varying degrees of exclusivity. If any of these licenses are terminated, or if they expire and are not renewed, we may not be able to continue to manufacture certain products in their current iterations or may experience disruption to our manufacturing processes. Even if we retain the licenses, the licenses may no longer be exclusive with respect to such designs or technologies, which could aid our competitors and have a negative impact on our business.
To compete effectively with other companies, we must maintain the proprietary nature of our owned and licensed intellectual property and maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary materials. We have in the past and may in the future be notified of challenges to our intellectual property rights or receive notices that claim we have misappropriated, violated, or infringed upon third parties' intellectual property rights. Despite our efforts to maintain our intellectual property rights and to avoid violating the intellectual property rights of others, we cannot eliminate the following risks which could have a material adverse effect on our brand, business, financial condition, or results of operations:
• others may circumvent or challenge our intellectual property rights;
• others may infringe, misappropriate or dilute our intellectual property;
• our products, services, and promotional materials, including trademarks, service marks, copyrighted material, product designs or manufacturing technology or processes may now or in the future violate the proprietary or intellectual property rights of others and may need to be changed, may give rise to liability and/or be subject to injunctive relief;
• we may be prevented from using, manufacturing, selling or distributing our products, promotional materials, trademarks, service marks, copyrighted materials, product designs or manufacturing technology or processes, if challenged;
• it may be cost prohibitive to enforce or defend our trademarks, service marks, patents and other intellectual property rights;
• our pending applications regarding trademarks, service marks and patents may not result in such marks being registered or patents being issued, and even if registered or issued, we cannot guarantee that they will be of sufficient scope or strength to provide us with meaningful protection or commercial advantage;
• we may be unable to protect our technological advantages when our patents expire;
• because we rely on third-party manufacturers to produce our products and such manufacturers may produce products for our competitors, we are at a greater risk of intellectual property leakage to our competitors; and
• our trade secrets, know-how and other proprietary materials may be revealed to the public or our competitors or independently developed by our competitors and no longer provide protection for the related intellectual property.
The nature and value of our intellectual property may be affected by a change in law domestically or abroad. Because of differences in foreign laws concerning proprietary rights and in light of the political and economic circumstances in certain foreign jurisdictions, our rights may not be enforced or enforceable in foreign countries or receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the United States, even if they are validly issued or registered. Further, while we seek to protect our intellectual property outside the United States, there can be no assurance that our intellectual property will be adequately protected in all countries in which we conduct our business. For example, while we generally apply for patents in those countries where we intend to make, have made, use, or sell patented products, we may not accurately predict all of the countries where patent protection will ultimately be desirable. If we fail to timely file a patent application in any such country, we may be precluded from doing so at a later date.
Our inability to maintain the proprietary nature of our intellectual property, or violations of the rights of others, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For example, an action to enforce our intellectual property rights, or an action brought by a third party challenging our intellectual property rights, could impair our financial condition, or results of operations, either as a result of a negative ruling with respect to our use of the intellectual property of others or the validity or enforceability of our intellectual property, or through the time consumed and legal costs involved in bringing or defending such an action (and we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient resources to adequately bring or defend any such action). Further, if a third party is successful in challenging our intellectual property rights or brings a claim of us, we could be required to pay significant , enter into license or royalty agreements, rebrand our products, or stop the sale of certain products, any of which could have a impact on our
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operating profits and harm our future prospects. In addition, any royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.
As our business continues to expand, our competitors have imitated, and will likely continue to imitate, our product designs and branding, which could harm our business and results of operations While we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, suppliers, manufacturers, visitors and others to protect our proprietary rights, the steps we take to protect our proprietary rights may be inadequate, and we may experience difficulty in effectively limiting the unauthorized use of our patents, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets and other intellectual property and proprietary rights worldwide. It is also possible that others will independently develop technology with the same or similar function to any proprietary technology we rely on to conduct our business and differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Because some of our products are manufactured overseas in countries where counterfeiting is more prevalent, and we intend to increase our sales overseas over the long-term, we may experience increased counterfeiting of our products. Unauthorized use or invalidation of our intellectual property may cause significant to our brand and our results of operations.
Our sales growth is dependent upon our ability to implement strategic initiatives and such initiatives may not be effective in generating sales growth.
Our ability to generate sales growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully implement strategic initiatives which we undertake. For example, one of our key strategic initiatives is to expand our retail partnerships. If we are not able to effectively expand within this channel, this could adversely impact our ability to grow our market share and build our brand strength, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, we are also pursuing other strategic initiatives, including the following:
• increasing brand awareness and equity to acquire new customers;
• expanding our direct-to-consumer presence and network of retail partnerships;
• improving and diversifying our product offering to span the entire Sleep Arc, including improving our research and development process in connection with such products;
• operational excellence initiatives such as price optimization, product return reductions, supply chain enhancements, and marketing efficiencies, among others; and
• identifying and expanding into new consumer markets, including international markets.
If we fail to execute on any of these strategic initiatives, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If we do not successfully implement our retail store strategy, including optimization of existing stores and future retail store expansion, our growth and profitability could be harmed.
We intend to continue to grow our existing direct-to-consumer channel by optimizing our existing retail store performance and opening additional retail stores. Our ability to successfully implement our retail store strategy depends on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
• our ability to manage the financial and operational aspects of our retail growth strategy, including making appropriate investments in our software systems, information technology, and operational infrastructure;
• our ability to identify suitable locations, including our ability to gather and assess demographic and other related data to accurately determine customer demand for our products in the locations we select;
• our ability to negotiate favorable lease agreements;
• our ability to properly assess the potential profitability and payback period of potential new retail store locations;
• our ability to secure required governmental permits and approvals, and our ability to effectively comply with state and local employment and labor laws, rules, and regulations;
• our ability to hire and train skilled store operating personnel, especially management personnel, and our ability to immerse such personnel in our culture;
• the availability of construction materials and labor and the absence of significant construction delays or cost overruns;
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• our ability to accurately understand and assess the demographic profile of, and provide a satisfactory mix of merchandise that is responsive to the needs of, our customers living in the areas where new retail stores are established;
• our ability to establish a supplier and distribution network able to supply new retail stores with inventory in a timely manner;
• our competitors or our retail partners, building or leasing stores near our retail stores or in locations we have identified as targets for a new retail store;
• customer demand for our products;
• our ability to scale our differentiated in-store experience that is unique to our brand, attracts customers, and builds deeper relationships;
• our ability to create a multi-channel experience that meets the expectations of today's customers who are shopping online and offline;
• our ability to create a technology infrastructure that serves our retail, e-commerce, and customer service channels connecting customer data and operational data to deliver a seamless user experience;
• our ability to incorporate a broader ecosystem of sleep products that addresses the entire Sleep Arc to establish Casper as a destination for products across the Sleep Economy;
• regional and local economic factors and conditions that may impact demand at any one or a group of our stores; and
• general economic and business conditions affecting consumer confidence and spending and the overall strength of our business.
In order to pursue our retail store strategy, we will be required to expend significant cash and human capital resources, and with respect to new retail stores, will be required to do so prior to generating any sales in these stores. Delays in new store openings or an inability to generate sufficient sales from these stores to justify such expenses could harm our business and profitability. The substantial management time and resources which any retail store strategy may require could also result in disruption to our existing business operations which may decrease our net revenue and profitability.
Because a significant portion of our revenue is derived from our mattress products, a decrease in sales of such products could seriously harm our profitability and financial condition.
While we have expanded and continue to expand our product and services offerings, a significant portion of our business consists primarily of designing and distributing our mattress products. As a result, future shifts in consumer spending away from our mattress products for any reason, including adverse economic conditions, heightened competition and decreased consumer confidence or frequency of mattress replacement, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Retailers with more diversified product offerings may not be similarly at risk. For example, department stores that experience stagnant or declining mattress sales may be better able to absorb the adverse effects given their diversity of product offerings. Our continued success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate, identify and respond quickly to shifts in consumer spending, as well as to strengthen our brand, incorporate a broader ecosystem of sleep products that address the entire Sleep Arc, and attract and retain customers who are willing to pay for products and services beyond our mattress offerings.
In the near term, if the number of customers demanding our mattress products does not continue to increase, we may not achieve the level of sales necessary to support new growth platforms across the Sleep Arc, and our ability to grow our business may be severely impaired.
Our business depends heavily on our ability to provide our customers with a joyful, seamless, and personalized purchasing experience that is different from our competitors.
Our customer experience is focused on providing our customers with a seamless and personalized consultative experience around sleep. We believe that our customer-first approach has significantly contributed to the popularity of our products and continues to distinguish us in an increasingly competitive industry. Our competitors have in the past and may in the future attempt to replicate features of our customer experience, such as our in-store and 100-night mattress trials and our bed-in-a-box packaging, to attract new customers and/or retain existing ones. Since we may not have proprietary rights to such features of our customer experience, we will need to commit significant resources towards continually enhancing and differentiating our customer experience and anticipating and meeting our customers' evolving preferences and expectations. Our failure to
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successfully innovate and continue to deliver a superior customer experience, could cause the demand for our products to decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
System interruptions that impair customer access to our website or other performance failures in our technology infrastructure could damage our business, reputation and brand and substantially harm our business and results of operations.
The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our website, transaction processing systems and technology infrastructure are critical to our reputation and our ability to acquire and retain customers, as well as maintain adequate customer service levels. Any compromise of our or our third-party partners' security could result in a violation of applicable security, privacy or data protection, consumer and other laws, regulatory or other governmental investigations, enforcement actions, and legal and financial exposure, including potential contractual liability.
We currently utilize Amazon Web Services, or AWS, data center hosting facilities. If our main data center, which is located in the Eastern United States, where substantially all of our computer and communications hardware is located fails, or if we suffer an interruption or degradation of services at our main data center, we could lose customer data and miss order fulfillment deadlines, which could harm our business. We do not have control over the operations of the facilities of AWS that we use. AWS' facilities are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, cyber security attacks, terrorist attacks, power losses, telecommunications failures and similar events. In the event that AWS' or any other third-party provider's systems or service abilities are hindered by any of the events discussed above, our ability to operate may be , resulting in missing financial targets for a particular period. A decision to close the facilities without adequate notice, or other , could impact our operations. All of the aforementioned risks may be augmented if our or the third-party provider's business continuity and recovery plans prove to be . The facilities also could be subject to -ins, computer viruses, , acts of and other . We may not be to switch our AWS operations to another cloud or other data center provider if there are or with our use of AWS, and, even if we do switch our operations, other cloud and data center providers are subject to the same risks. Any security , including personal data , or , including cybersecurity , that we experience could result in access to, of or acquisition of our or our customers' data, the , , or alteration of this data, in our operations or to our computer hardware or systems or those of our customers. Moreover, publicity arising from these types of could our reputation. We may not carry sufficient business insurance to compensate us for that may occur as a result of any events that cause in our service.
AWS does not have an obligation to renew its agreements with us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we are unable to renew our agreements on commercially reasonable terms, our agreements are prematurely terminated, or we add additional infrastructure providers, we may experience costs or downtime in connection with the transfer to, or the addition of, new data center providers. We do not currently have a back-up system configured in the event of a failure of our main data center.
We use complex proprietary software in our technology infrastructure, which we seek to continually update and improve. For instance, we are currently planning to transition our enterprise resource planning, or ERP, applications from a third-party host to our AWS account and certain other internally developed software to third-party solutions. Replacing such systems is often time consuming and expensive, and can also be intrusive to daily business operations. Further, we may not always be successful in executing these upgrades and improvements, which may occasionally result in a failure of our systems. In particular, we have in the past and may in the future experience slowdowns or interruptions in our website when we are updating it, and new technologies or infrastructure may not be fully integrated with our existing systems on a timely basis, or at all. Additionally, if we expand our use of third-party services, including cloud-based services, our technology infrastructure may be subject to increased risk of slowdown or interruption as a result of integration with such services and/or failures by such third parties, which are out of our control. Our net revenue is comprised of global sales through our direct-to-consumer channel and our retail partnerships, and net revenue depends on the number of visitors who shop on our website and in our retail stores, the number of orders received from retail partners and the volume of orders we can handle. of our website, our payment systems or reduced order fulfillment performance would reduce the volume of goods sold and could also materially affect consumer perception of our brand. We may experience periodic system from time to time. In addition, continued growth in our transaction volume, as well as surges in online traffic and orders associated with promotional activities or seasonal trends in our business, place additional demands on our technology platform and could cause or or . If there is a substantial increase in the volume of traffic on our website or the number of orders placed by customers, we will be required to further expand and upgrade our technology, transaction processing systems and network infrastructure. There can be no assurance that we will be to accurately project the rate or timing of increases,
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if any, in the use of our website or expand and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to accommodate such increases on a timely basis. In order to remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality and features of our website, which is particularly challenging given the rapid rate at which new technologies, customer preferences and expectations and industry standards and practices are evolving in the e-commerce industry. Accordingly, we redesign and enhance various functions on our website on a regular basis, and we may experience instability and performance issues as a result of these changes.
Any slowdown or failure of our website and the underlying technology infrastructure could harm our business, reputation and our ability to acquire, retain and serve our customers, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations. Our disaster recovery plan may be inadequate, and our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to compensate us for the losses that could occur.
We will need to improve our financial and operational systems in order to manage our growth effectively and support our increasingly complex business arrangements, and an inability to do so could harm our business and results of operations.
To manage our growth and our increasingly complex business operations, especially as we move into new markets internationally, we will need to upgrade our operational and financial systems and procedures, improve the coordination between our various corporate functions and expand, train and manage our workforce adequately. Our efforts to manage the expansion of our operations may place a significant strain on our management personnel, systems and resources, particularly given the limited amount of financial resources and skilled employees that may be available at the time. When implementing new or changing existing processes, we may encounter transitional issues and incur substantial additional expenses. We cannot be certain that we will institute, in a timely manner or at all, the improvements to our managerial, operational, and financial systems and procedures necessary to support our anticipated increased levels of operations. Delays or problems associated with any improvement or expansion of our operational and financial systems could adversely affect our relationships with our suppliers, manufacturers, resellers and customers, harm our reputation and result in in our financial and other reporting, any of which could our business and operating results.
We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations due to seasonality and other factors, which could make sequential quarter to quarter comparison an unreliable indication of our performance.
We have historically experienced and expect to continue to experience seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in sales and operating income. Our second and third quarter sales are typically higher than our other quarters. We attribute this seasonality principally to back-to school, home moves, and other seasonal factors, along with seasonal promotions we offer during these quarters. This seasonality means that a sequential quarter to quarter comparison may not provide a meaningful indication of our performance or how we will perform in the future.
Other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that may cause quarterly results to fluctuate include, but are not limited to:
• general economic and political conditions;
• shifts in consumer tastes and changes in demand for the products that we offer;
• expansion of existing or entry of new competitors into our markets;
• pricing and other actions taken by our competitors;
• changes in promotions, advertising or other actions taken by us or our existing or possible new competitors;
• the timing and level of promotions;
• changes in our operating expenses;
• changes in commodity prices and transportation and distribution costs;
• foreign exchange rates;
• litigation;
• adverse weather conditions in our markets, particularly on weekends, as we grow our retail presence;
• natural or human-made disasters;
• the timing of income tax refunds to our end-customers;
• the timing or elimination of certain state and local tax holidays; and
• the timing of holidays that typically result in higher sales falling in a different fiscal quarter than in a prior year, which may affect the comparability of year-to-year comparisons for the affected quarters.
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Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations for the fiscal quarter in which such event occurs as well as for the entire year. Therefore, sequential period-to-period comparisons of historical quarterly operating results may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.
Our plans for continued expansion in North America and potential expansion into markets outside of North America in the future may not be successful.
Although our current intent is to focus on our operations in North America, including the United States and Canada, we may plan to expand into markets outside of North America in the future. To the extent we undertake such expansion, we may incur significant operating expenses as a result of our potential international expansion, and our international operations may not be successful. For example, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we announced the wind down of our European operations and our intent to focus on our operations in North America.
There are significant costs and risks inherent in selling our products in international markets, including: (i) failure to effectively translate and establish our core brand identity, product and experience proposition; (ii) time and difficulty in building our e-commerce platform and/or a widespread network of retail stores and retail partners; (iii) increased shipping and distribution costs, which could increase our expenses and reduce our margins; (iv) potentially lower margins; (v) longer collection cycles in some regions; (vi) increased competition from local providers of similar products; (vii) compliance with local laws and regulations, including taxes and duties, labor laws, and enhanced privacy laws, rules, and regulations; (viii) establishing and maintaining effective internal controls at foreign locations and the associated increased costs; (ix) increased counterfeiting and the uncertainty of protection for intellectual property rights in some countries and practical difficulties of enforcing rights abroad; (x) compliance with anti-bribery, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, and anti-money laundering laws, such as the FCPA, the Act, and OFAC regulations, by us, our employees, and our business partners; (xi) currency exchange rate fluctuations and related effects on our results of operations; (xii) economic , including inflation, or political in foreign economies and markets; (m) compliance with tax, employment, immigration, and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad; (xiii) workforce uncertainty in countries where labor is more common than in the United States; (xiv) business resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural , including earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and fires; (xv) the imposition of tariffs on products that we import into international markets that could make such products more expensive compared to those of our competitors; (xvi) that our ability to expand internationally could be impacted by the intellectual property rights of third parties that with or are to ours; (xvii) our to find suitable mergers and acquisitions targets to help expand our business abroad; (xviii) sharing of data and information across borders; and (xix) other costs and risks of doing business internationally.
These and other factors could harm any potential international operations and, consequently, harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Further, we may incur significant operating expenses as a result of any potential international expansion, and any plans pursuing such a strategy may not be successful. We have limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices internationally, and we may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in new markets. We may also encounter difficulty expanding into international markets because of limited brand recognition, leading to delayed or limited acceptance of our products by customers in these markets, and increased marketing and customer acquisition costs to establish our brand. Accordingly, if we are unable to successfully expand internationally or manage the complexity of our global operations, we may not achieve the expected benefits of any potential international expansion and our financial condition, and results of operations could be .
Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to provide consumers a cost-effective shopping platform that is able to respond and adapt to rapid changes in technology.
The number of people who access the internet through devices other than personal computers, including mobile phones, smartphones, handheld computers such as notebooks and tablets, video game consoles, and television set-top devices, has increased dramatically in the past few years. A significant amount of our sales are made through mobile and other handheld devices. The smaller screen size, functionality, and memory associated with some alternative devices may make the use of our sites and purchasing our products more difficult. The versions of our sites developed for these devices may not be compelling to customers. In addition, it is time consuming and costly to keep pace with rapidly changing and continuously evolving technology.
While our website is currently mobile-optimized, as new mobile devices and platforms are released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in developing applications for alternative devices and platforms, and we may need to devote significant resources to the creation, support and maintenance of such applications. If we are unable to attract customers to our
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website through these devices or are slow to develop a version of our website that is more compatible with alternative devices or a mobile application, we may fail to capture a significant share of customers in the markets in which we operate, which could adversely affect our business.
Further, we continually upgrade existing technologies and business applications, and we may be required to implement new technologies or business applications in the future. The implementation of upgrades and changes requires significant investments. Our results of operations may be affected by the timing, effectiveness and costs associated with the successful implementation of any upgrades or changes to our systems and infrastructure. In the event that it is more difficult for our customers to buy products from us on their mobile devices, or if our customers choose not to buy products from us on their mobile devices or to use mobile products that do not offer access to our websites, our customer growth could be harmed and our business, financial condition, and operating results may be materially adversely affected.
We rely significantly on information technology, or IT, and any failure, inadequacy, interruption or security lapse of that technology, or any failure by us or our service providers to adequately protect our or third-party information assets from cyber-based attacks or other incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our ability to effectively manage our business depends significantly on our IT systems. The failure of our current systems, including our main operating system, JD Edwards, or future upgrades, to operate effectively or to integrate with other systems, or a breach in security of these systems could cause reduced efficiency or result in a shutdown of our operations, and remediation of any such failure, problem or breach could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are increasingly dependent on IT, including the internet, for the storage, processing, and transmission of electronic, business-related, information assets of ours, our customers and suppliers. We leverage our internal IT infrastructures, and those of our service providers, to enable, sustain, and support our business interests. In the event that we or our service providers are unable to prevent, detect, and remediate cyber-based attacks, computer viruses, breaches of customer privacy or other security incidents in a timely manner, our operations could be disrupted or we could incur financial, legal or reputational losses arising from misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or intentional or accidental release or loss of information maintained in our information systems and networks, including personal information of our employees and our customers. Furthermore, any compromise of our or our third-party partners' security could result in a of applicable security, privacy or data protection, consumer and other laws, regulatory or other governmental , enforcement actions, and legal and financial exposure, including potential contractual liability. In addition, outside parties may attempt to induce our employees or employees of our vendors to sensitive information in order to access to our data. Like other companies, we have on occasion and will continue to experience, to our data and systems such as phishing, malware and distributed -of-service attacks and attacks to our e-commerce order technology, although no such attack has had a material impact on our operations. The number and complexity of these continue to increase over time. Although we develop and maintain systems and controls designed to prevent these events from occurring, and we have a process to identify and mitigate , the development, and maintenance of these systems, controls, and processes require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to security measures become more sophisticated. our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely.
Further, we house many of our systems offsite at a third-party data center in the Eastern United States. Our data center may likewise be subject to cyber-attacks or other technology-related incidents, and also break-ins, sabotage and intentional acts of vandalism that could cause disruptions in our ability to serve our customers and protect data. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. The occurrence of a natural disaster, intentional sabotage or other anticipated problems could result in lengthy interruptions to our service. Any errors or vulnerability in our systems or damage to or of our systems, or a third-party data center hosting our data, could result in in our operations and could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Security and other security , including any of our security measures or those of parties with whom we have commercial relationships (e.g., third-party data centers) that result in the access of our customers' confidential, proprietary or personal data, or the belief that any of these have occurred, could our reputation and us to a risk of or and possible liability.
An increase in our return rates beyond historical levels could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, cash flows and reputation.
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Our return rates may not remain within our historical levels. An increase in return rates could significantly impair our liquidity and profitability. We currently offer trial periods of up to 100 nights on our mattresses, bedroom textiles and pillows, which allow customers to return any of these products if they are not satisfied on or prior to the expiration of the 100-night period. In addition, we offer a 30-day trial policy on most other product lines. Although historical costs to us of honoring returns during offered trial periods have been within management's expectations, we have released new products in recent years that are fairly early in their product life cycles, and the return rates for such new products may not align with our expectations. If we have higher than expected return rates, our revenue could be materially adversely impacted.
Our current and future products may experience quality problems from time to time that can result in warranty claims which may decrease our operating margin.
Our mattresses and other sleep products generally offer a limited manufacturer's warranty against certain types of defects, or Limited Warranty, of 20 years or less, with our mattresses having a Limited Warranty of 10 years and our adjustable bed frames having a Limited Warranty of 20 years. Although we extensively and rigorously test new and enhanced products, there can be no assurance we will be able to detect, prevent, or fix all defects. Because certain of our products have not been in use by our customers for the full warranty period, we have limited information with which to evaluate the likelihood and magnitude of a potential warranty claim. The manufacturers of our mattresses and other sleep products are generally contractually obligated to cover warranty claims we submit to them. If, however, the actual amount of warranty claims we submit to manufacturers exceeds the amount of warranty claims the manufacturers are willing or able to cover, we may have to pay the incremental amount of such claims, which would decrease our operating margin.
We may be limited in our ability to utilize, or may not be able to utilize, net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to reduce our future tax liability.
As of December 31, 2020, we had U.S. federal NOL carryforwards of approximately $339.6 million, which may be limited annually due to certain change in ownership provisions of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and other limitations in the Code. Our post 2017 federal NOL carryforward of $247.3 million does not expire. Our federal NOL carryforwards of $92.3 million incurred prior to 2018 will begin to expire in 2035 and will completely expire in 2037. Please refer to Note 11 to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of the carryforward of our NOLs and other tax attributes. As of December 31, 2020, we maintain a full valuation allowance for our deferred tax assets.
Utilization of NOLs generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 is limited to a maximum of 80% of the taxable income for such year determined without regard to the NOL deduction. In addition, "ownership changes" (generally defined as greater than 50-percentage-point cumulative changes in the equity ownership of certain stockholders over a rolling three-year period) under Section 382 of the Code may further limit our ability to utilize our pre-change NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes to reduce our taxable income in periods following the ownership changes. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our common stock ownership, and in general, were an ownership change to occur, our ability to utilize federal NOL carryforwards would be limited annually to an amount equal to the aggregate value of our equity at the time of the ownership change multiplied by a specified tax-exempt interest rate, subject to increase by certain built-in gains. The utilization of our state NOL carryforwards may also be limited due to state tax regulations relating to ownership changes.
Risks Related to our Supply Chain, Distribution and Inventory Management
We currently rely exclusively on third-party contract manufacturers whose efforts we are unable to fully control.
Our products are produced by third-party contract manufacturers. We face the risk that these third-party contract manufacturers may not produce and deliver our products on a timely basis, or at all. We have experienced, and could again experience, operational difficulties with our manufacturers. These difficulties include reductions in the availability of production capacity, errors in complying with product specifications and customer requirements, insufficient quality control, sharing competitively sensitive information with our competitors, failure to meet production deadlines, failure to achieve our product, and packaging quality standards, inability to access new or quality materials, shipping mistakes, failure to update us on production and shipping status, increases in costs of materials, and manufacturing or other business interruptions. The ability of our manufacturers to effectively satisfy our production requirements could also be impacted by manufacturer financial or to their operations caused by fire, terrorist attack, natural , or other events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. See “Risks Related to Our Business, Operations, and Growth—The COVID-19 pandemic has affected, and could continue to
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adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations.” The failure of any manufacturer to perform to our expectations could result in supply shortages or delays for certain products and harm our business. For example, during the year ended December 31, 2020, certain of our suppliers and logistics providers experienced supply constraints or labor shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in certain disruptions to our supply chain, including increased delivery times for select products through our e-commerce platform and delayed order fulfillment for certain of our retail partners. If we experience significantly increased demand, or if we need to replace an existing manufacturer due to lack of performance, we may be unable to supplement or replace our manufacturing capacity on a timely basis or on terms that are acceptable to us, which may increase our costs, reduce our margins, and harm our ability to deliver our products on time. For certain of our products, it may take a significant amount of time to identify and qualify a manufacturer that has the capability and resources to produce our products to our specifications in sufficient volume and our service and quality control standards. Our reliance on third-party manufacturers and to fully control any operational with our third-party manufacturers could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We rely on third-party contract manufacturers and third-party distributors, and if we fail to timely and effectively obtain shipments of products from our manufacturers and deliver products to our retail partners and customers, our business and results of operations could be harmed.
Our business depends on our ability to source and distribute products in a timely manner, and we rely on third-party manufacturers, distributors, and distribution centers to do so. In part because we utilize third-party distributors, we cannot control all of the factors that might affect the timely and effective procurement of our products from our third-party contract manufacturers and the delivery of our products to our retail stores, retail partners and customers, including (i) lack of day-to-day control over the activities of third-party distributors, (ii) that such distributors may not fulfill their obligations to us or otherwise meet our expectations, and (iii) that third-party distributors may terminate their arrangements with us on limited or no notice or may change the terms of these arrangements in a manner unfavorable to us for reasons outside of our control. In addition, disagreements with such distributors could require or result in costly and time-consuming litigation or arbitration. Failure to timely and effectively obtain our products may result in increased shipping costs; our future revenue and market share may not grow as anticipated; we may be to sell, market and distribute our products in line with our long-term growth strategy; and we could be subject to other costs which could impact our results of operations or otherwise our business.
In addition, our third-party contract manufacturers ship a significant portion of our products to our third-party distribution centers in the United States and Canada. We import certain of our products, and thus are also vulnerable to risks associated with products manufactured abroad, including: (i) risks of damage, destruction, or confiscation of products while in transit to our distribution centers; and (ii) transportation and other delays in shipments, including as a result of heightened security screening, port congestion, and inspection processes or other port-of-entry limitations or restrictions in the United States. In order to meet demand for a product, we have chosen in the past, and may choose in the future, to arrange for additional quantities of the product, if available, to be delivered through air freight, which is significantly more expensive than standard shipping by sea and, consequently, could harm our gross margins. Failure to procure our products from our third-party contract manufacturers and deliver merchandise to our retail partners and direct-to-consumer channels in a timely, effective, and economically viable manner could reduce our sales and gross margins, our brand, and our business.
We also rely on the timely and free flow of goods through open and operational ports from our suppliers and manufacturers. Labor disputes or disruptions at ports, our common carriers, or our suppliers or manufacturers could create significant risks for our business, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes, or other disruptions during periods of significant importing or manufacturing, potentially resulting in delayed or cancelled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages, and harm to our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
In addition, we rely upon independent land-based and air freight carriers for product shipments from our distribution centers to our retail stores, retail partners and customers who purchase through our direct-to-consumer channel. We may not be able to obtain sufficient freight capacity on a timely basis or at favorable shipping rates and, therefore, may not be able to receive products from suppliers or deliver products to retail partners or customers in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Accordingly, we are subject to a variety of risks, including labor disputes, union organizing activity, inclement weather, and increased transportation costs, associated with our third-party contract manufacturers' and carriers' ability to provide products and services to meet our requirements. In addition, if the cost of fuel rises, the cost to deliver products may rise, and could harm our profitability.
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If we fail to manage our supply chain commensurate with demand and successfully and timely deliver merchandise to our retail partners and customers, our results of operations may be adversely affected .
Our business depends on our ability to manage our supply chain vendors in order to produce sufficient quantities of products that our customers wish to purchase in a timely manner. We must manage our supply chain and inventory levels, including predicting the appropriate levels and type of product to order from our third-party contract manufacturers, such that we can adequately meet consumer demand and expected delivery times. Our current initiatives to streamline and optimize our demand-planning and inventory management may not be successful, and implementing such initiatives may complicate our efforts to manage our supply chain. From time to time, we have experienced periods in which some of our third-party contract manufacturers were not able to meet customer demand levels for certain products, resulting in significant delivery delays for our products, and, in some instances, the loss of customer sales when orders could not be completed in a timely manner. If we are unable to accurately predict and track demand, particularly as we add new product assortments and new merchandise categories into our business, we may not be able to procure product from our third-party contract manufacturers and deliver merchandise to our retail partnership and direct-to-consumer channels in a timely, , and economically viable manner, which could reduce our sales and gross margins, our brand, and our business.
Our third-party manufacturers may breach our manufacturing agreements, most of which are not exclusive such that these manufacturers could produce similar products for our competitors.
We have contracts with a significant amount of our manufacturers and utilize purchase orders with our manufacturers. Manufacturers with whom we have contracts may breach these agreements, and we may not be able to enforce our rights under these agreements or may incur significant costs attempting to do so. As a result, we cannot predict with certainty our ability to obtain products in adequate quantities, of required quality and at acceptable prices from our suppliers and manufacturers in the future. Any one of these risks could harm our ability to deliver our products on time, or at all, damage our reputation and our relationships with our retail partners and customers, and increase our product costs thereby reducing our margins.
In addition, most of our arrangements with our manufacturers are not exclusive. As a result, certain of our manufacturers could produce similar products for our competitors. Further, while certain of our contracts include certain exclusivity arrangements, those manufacturers could choose to breach our agreements and work with our competitors, and we may not become aware of such breaches or have remedies against the manufacturer for such breaches. Our competitors could enter into restrictive or exclusive arrangements with our manufacturers that could impair or eliminate our access to manufacturing capacity. Our manufacturers could also be acquired by our competitors, and may become our direct competitors, thus limiting or eliminating our access to manufacturing capacity.
Our third-party manufacturers may not be able to obtain new or quality raw materials, which could result in delays and impair our ability to fulfill our orders in a timely manner.
The capacity of our manufacturers to produce our products is also dependent upon the availability of raw materials. Our manufacturers may not be able to obtain sufficient supply of raw materials, which could result in delays in deliveries of our products by our manufacturers or increased costs. Any shortage of raw materials or inability of a manufacturer to produce or ship our products in a timely manner, or at all, could impair our ability to ship orders of our products in a cost-efficient, timely manner and could cause us to miss the delivery requirements of our customers. As a result, we could experience cancellations of orders, refusals to accept deliveries, or reductions in our prices and margins, any of which could harm our financial performance, reputation, and results of operations.
We are subject to fluctuations in the cost and availability of raw materials and fuel, which could increase our costs or disrupt our production.
The key raw materials that are used for production of our mattress products are polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, cotton, foundation constructions, fabrics and roll goods that consist of fiber, ticking and non-wovens. The key raw materials that are used for production of our non-mattress products, including our bedroom textiles, bedroom furnishings, sleep accessories and sleep technology products, include cotton, linen, steel, wood, plastic, LED lighting materials, fabrics and roll goods that consist of fiber, ticking and non-woven materials. The prices of the raw materials we use for our products vary based on market demand, supply dynamics and constraints in energy costs. Also, the cost of fuel to transport our products to market is subject to market conditions affecting supply and demand. Given the significance of the cost of these materials to our products, volatility in the prices of the underlying commodities and raw materials can significantly affect profitability. To the extent we are unable to absorb higher costs that are passed down to us from our manufacturers, or pass any such higher costs to our customers, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if
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these materials are not available on a timely basis or at all, our manufacturers may not be able to produce our products, and our sales may decline.
Our third-party manufacturers are subject to regulatory requirements, and it is difficult to monitor and control their compliance with such laws, rules and regulations.
Third-party manufacturers of our products and components must comply with applicable regulatory requirements, which may require significant resources and subject our manufacturers to potential regulatory inspections, stoppages, or enforcement actions. If our manufacturers do not maintain regulatory approval for, or compliance of, their manufacturing operations, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Additionally, we currently have third-party manufacturing partners located in various locations, including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Portugal, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States, among others. Our ability to identify qualified manufacturers is a significant challenge, especially with respect to goods sourced outside of North America. Global sourcing and foreign trade involve numerous factors and uncertainties beyond our control including increased shipping costs, increased import duties, more restrictive quotas, loss of most favored nation trading status, currency fluctuations, work stoppages and enforcement of foreign labor laws, transportation delays, port of entry issues, economic uncertainties such as inflation, foreign government regulations, political unrest, natural disasters, war, terrorism, trade restrictions, political instability, the financial stability of vendors, quality issues, and tariffs. Moreover, negative press or reports about internationally manufactured products may sway public opinion, and thus consumer preference, away from our products.
While our supplier guidelines promote ethical business practices such as environmental responsibility, fair wage practices, and compliance with child labor laws, among others, and we, along with a third party that we retain for this purpose, monitor compliance with those guidelines, we do not control our third-party manufacturers or their business practices. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee their compliance with our ethical business practice guidelines. A lack of demonstrated compliance with our ethical business practice guidelines could lead us to seek alternative suppliers, which could increase our costs and result in delayed delivery of our products, product shortages or other disruptions of our operations. In addition, a lack of compliance could lead to negative publicity which could damage our brand. As such, our reliance on third-party manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is subject to the risk of manufacturer and supplier concentrations.
We depend on a limited number of third-party contract manufacturers for the sourcing of our products. For our mattresses, our three largest manufacturers comprised approximately 70% of our production volume during the year ended December 31, 2020. Further, consolidation among foam suppliers, which is a key component for our mattresses, and mattress fabricators has resulted in a decrease in the number of possible domestic suppliers from which we can source foam and mattress fabrication, as well as an increase in the threat of increased prices and less favorable commercial terms. Our business and operations would be negatively affected if any of our key manufacturers or suppliers were to experience significant disruption affecting the price, quality, availability, or timely delivery of products as a result of these concentrations in our manufacturing and supply chains. The partial or complete loss of any of these manufacturers or suppliers, or a significant adverse change in our relationship with any of these manufacturers or suppliers, could result in lost sales, added costs, and distribution delays that could harm our business and customer relationships. Further, we may incur significant management time and attention to replace and validate new manufacturers and suppliers, which could further our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business could be harmed if we fail to execute our internal plans to transition our supply chain and certain other business processes to a global scale.
We are in the process of building and re-engineering certain of our supply chain management processes, as well as certain other business processes, to support our expanding scale. This expansion to a global scale requires significant investment of capital and human resources, the re-engineering of many business processes, and the attention of many managers and other employees who would otherwise be focused on other aspects of our business. If our globalization efforts fail to produce planned efficiencies, or the transition is not managed effectively, we may experience excess inventories, inventory shortage, late deliveries, lost sales, or increased costs. We also are pursuing a strategy to vertically integrate. If we are not successful in pursuing this strategy, or if there is any business disruption arising from our globalization efforts, or our failure to effectively execute our internal plans for globalization or vertical integration, our results of operations and our financial condition could be harmed.
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Risks Related to our Relationships with Third Parties
We depend on our retail partners to display and present our products to customers, and our failure to maintain and further develop our relationships with our retail partners could harm our business.
A portion of our sales are through our retail partners. Our relationships with these retail partners are important to the authenticity of our brand and the marketing programs we continue to deploy. Our failure to maintain these relationships with our partners or financial difficulties experienced by these partners could harm our business.
We have partnerships with Amazon, Costco, Hudson's Bay Company, and Target, among others. If we lose a key partner or a key partner reduces its purchases of our existing or new products or its number of stores or operations or promotes products of our competitors over ours, our sales would be harmed. Because we are a premium brand, our sales depend, in part, on our partners marketing and effectively displaying our products, including providing attractive space and point of purchase displays in their physical retail stores or, with respect to their e-commerce platform, providing attractive digital space to display our products. Our sales also depend on our partners training their sales personnel to sell our products. We may not have control over how they market our product, including the amount of money they spend advertising our products, whether they market our products consistent with our brand philosophy and/or whether they display our products in a manner that appeals to consumers. If our partners reduce or terminate those activities, we may experience reduced sales of our products, resulting in lower gross margins, which would harm our results of operations.
Use of social media and influencers may materially and adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.
We use third-party social media platforms as marketing tools, among other things. For example, we maintain Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts, as well as our Casper Sleep Channel on YouTube and Spotify. We also maintain relationships with thousands of social media influencers and engage in sponsorship initiatives. As existing e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve and new platforms develop, we must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools or if the social media platforms we use do not evolve quickly enough for us to fully optimize such platforms, our ability to acquire new consumers and our financial condition may suffer. Furthermore, as laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms and devices, the failure by us, our employees, our network of social media influencers, our sponsors or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices or otherwise could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other and have a material effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
In addition, an increase in the use of social media for marketing may cause an increase in the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations. For example, in some cases, the Federal Trade Commission, or the FTC, has sought enforcement action where an endorsement has failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose a material relationship between an influencer and an advertiser. While we ask influencers to comply with the FTC regulations and our guidelines, we do not regularly monitor what our influencers post, and if we were held responsible for the content of their posts, we could be forced to alter our practices, which could have material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business relies heavily on email, and any restrictions on the sending of emails or an inability to timely deliver such communications could materially adversely affect our net revenue and business.
Our business is highly dependent upon email for promoting our website and products. Periodic promotions offered through emails sent by us generate a portion of our net revenue. We provide periodic emails to customers and other visitors informing them of what is available for purchase on our website that day, and we believe these messages are an important part of our customer experience and help generate a portion of our net revenue. If we are unable to successfully deliver emails or other messages to our subscribers, or if subscribers decline to open our emails or other messages, our net revenue and profitability would be materially adversely affected. Changes in how webmail applications organize and prioritize email may reduce the number of subscribers opening our emails. For example, Google's Gmail service has a feature that organizes incoming emails into categories (for example, primary, social and promotions). Such categorization or similar inbox organizational features may result in our emails being delivered in a less prominent location in a subscriber's inbox or viewed as "spam" by our subscribers and may reduce the likelihood of that subscriber opening our emails. Actions by third parties to block, impose restrictions on or charge for the delivery of emails or other messages could also impact our business. From time to time, internet
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service providers or other third parties may block bulk email transmissions or otherwise experience technical difficulties that result in our inability to successfully deliver emails or other messages to third parties. Changes in the laws or regulations that limit our ability to send such communications or impose additional requirements upon us in connection with sending such communications. Our use of email and other messaging services to send communications about our sites or other matters may also result in legal claims against us, which may cause us increased expenses, and if successful might result in fines and orders with costly reporting and compliance obligations or might limit or prohibit our ability to send emails or other messages. We also rely on social networking messaging services to send communications and to encourage customers to send communications. Changes to the terms of these social networking services to limit promotional communications, any restrictions that would limit our ability or our customers' ability to send communications through their services, disruptions or experienced by these social networking services or in the use of or engagement with social networking services by customers and potential customers could materially affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Matters
Some of our products are manufactured by third parties outside of the United States, and our business may be harmed by legal, regulatory, economic, and political risks associated with international trade and those markets.
Some of our products are manufactured in various locations, including among others, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Portugal, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. Our reliance on suppliers and manufacturers in foreign markets creates risks inherent in doing business in foreign jurisdictions, including: (i) the burdens of complying with a variety of foreign laws and regulations, including trade and labor restrictions and laws relating to the importation and taxation of goods; (ii) weaker protection for intellectual property and other legal rights than in the United States, and practical difficulties in enforcing intellectual property and other rights outside of the United States; (iii) compliance with U.S. and foreign laws relating to foreign operations, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, the UK Bribery Act 2010, or the Bribery Act, regulations of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Controls, or OFAC, and U.S. anti-money laundering regulations, collectively which, among other things, prohibit U.S. companies from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, operating in certain countries, as well as engaging in other and practices; (iv) economic and political and acts of terrorism in the countries where our suppliers are located; (v) transportation or increases in transportation costs; (vi) the imposition of tariffs on components and products that we import into the United States or other markets; and (vii) foreign currency fluctuations. We cannot you that our directors, officers, employees, representatives, manufacturers, or suppliers have not engaged and will not engage in or conduct for which we may be held responsible, nor can we you that our manufacturers, suppliers, or other business partners have not engaged and will not engage in conduct that could materially their ability to perform their contractual obligations to us or even result in our being held liable for such conduct. of the FCPA, the Act, OFAC restrictions, or other export control, anti-, anti-money , and anti-terrorism laws or regulations may result in or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other related liabilities, which could our business, financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations.
If tariffs or other restrictions are placed on foreign imports or any related counter-measures are taken by other countries, our business and results of operations could be harmed.
The Trump Administration put into place certain tariffs and other trade restrictions that raised the cost of our products and negatively impacted our business. In addition, China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, among others, have either threatened to or put into place retaliatory tariffs or other trade restrictions of their own. If these tariffs or other restrictions remain in place or new tariffs are placed on foreign imports under the new presidential administration, including on any of our products manufactured overseas for sale in the United States, or any related counter-measures are taken by other countries, our business and results of operations may be materially harmed.
These tariffs, and other potential trade restrictions such as anti-dumping duties, have the potential to significantly raise the cost of our products. In such a case, there can be no assurance that we will be able to shift manufacturing and supply agreements to non-impacted countries, including the United States, to reduce the effects of the tariffs. As a result, we may suffer margin erosion or be required to raise our prices, which may result in the loss of customers, negatively impact our results of operations, or otherwise harm our business. In addition, the imposition of tariffs or other trade restrictions on products that we export to international markets could make such products more expensive compared to those of our competitors if we pass related additional costs on to our customers, which may also result in the loss of customers, negatively impact our results of operations, or otherwise harm our business.
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Our business is subject to a wide variety of U.S. and foreign government laws and regulations. These laws and regulations, as well as any new or changed laws or regulations, could disrupt our operations or increase our compliance costs. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could have a further adverse impact on our business.
We are subject to a wide variety of laws and regulations relating to the markets in which we operate or to various aspects of our business. Laws and regulations at the foreign, federal, state and local levels frequently change, and we cannot always reasonably predict the impact from, or the ultimate cost of compliance with, future regulatory or administrative changes. Changes in law, the imposition of new or additional regulations or the enactment of any new or more stringent legislation that impacts employment and labor, trade, advertising and marketing practices, pricing, consumer credit offerings, product testing and safety, transportation and logistics, health care, tax, accounting, privacy and data security, health and safety, financial crimes and sanctions or environmental issues, among others, could require us to change the way we do business and could have a material adverse impact on our sales, profitability, cash flows and financial condition. Moreover, our production, marketing, advertising and other business practices could become the subject of proceedings before regulatory authorities or the subject of claims by other parties that could require us to alter or end those practices or adopt new practices that are not as effective or are more expensive.
In addition, our operations are subject to federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations relating to pollution, environmental protection, occupational health and safety and labor and employee relations. New or different laws or regulations could increase direct compliance costs for us or may cause our vendors to raise the prices they charge us because of increased compliance costs. Further, the adoption of a multi-layered regulatory approach to any one of the state or federal laws or regulations to which we are currently subject, particularly where the layers are in conflict, could require alteration of our manufacturing processes or operational parameters which may adversely impact our business. We may not be in complete compliance with all such requirements at all times and, even when we believe that we are in complete compliance, a regulatory agency may determine that we are not. Our operations could also be impacted by a number of pending legislative and regulatory proposals in the United States and other countries to address global climate change. These actions could increase costs associated with our operations, including costs for raw materials, pollution control equipment and transportation. Because it is uncertain what laws will be enacted, we cannot predict the potential impact of such laws on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our operations and manufacturers are subject to foreign exchange, tariff, environmental, tax and regulatory compliance risks, among others, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The imposition of tariffs in the jurisdictions in which our operations and manufacturers are located pursuant to trade laws and regulations can have a material adverse impact on our business by placing tariffs and tariff-rate quotas on the import or export of raw materials our facilities require for our production and raising the prices of such raw materials. Our Canadian operations have been subject to tariffs in the past, and continue to be subject to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, anti-dumping duties, and the potential imposition of trade restrictions and other tax increases, any of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Government regulation of the internet and e-commerce is evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by us to comply with these regulations could substantially harm our business and results of operations.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws as well as regulations and laws specifically governing the internet and e-commerce. Existing and future regulations and laws could impede the growth of the internet, e-commerce or mobile commerce. These regulations and laws may involve taxes, tariffs, privacy and data security, anti-spam, content protection, electronic contracts and communications, consumer protection and internet neutrality. It is not clear how existing laws governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes, and consumer privacy apply to the internet as the vast majority of these laws were adopted prior to the advent of the internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues raised by the internet or e-commerce. It is possible that general business regulations and laws, or those specifically governing the internet or e-commerce, may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. We cannot be sure that our practices have complied, comply or will comply fully with all such laws and regulations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in to our reputation, a in business and proceedings, or actions us by governmental entities or others. Any such proceeding or action could our reputation, us to spend significant amounts in defense of these proceedings, our management, increase our costs of doing business, decrease the use of our sites by customers and suppliers and may result in the imposition of monetary liability. We may also be contractually liable to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs or consequences of non-compliance with any such laws or regulations. In addition, it is
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possible that governments of one or more countries may seek to censor content available on our website or may even attempt to completely block access to our website. Adverse legal or regulatory developments could substantially harm our business. In particular, in the event that we are restricted, in whole or in part, from operating in one or more countries, our ability to retain or increase our customer base may be adversely affected, and we may not be able to maintain or grow our net revenue and expand our business as anticipated.
Regulatory requirements related to flammability standards for mattresses may increase our product costs and increase the risk of disruption to our business.
We are subject to a number of regulatory requirements related to flammability standards for mattress in various jurisdictions. For example, in the U.S., the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission sets flammability standards and related regulations for mattresses and mattress and foundation sets. These regulations require manufacturers to implement quality assurance programs and encourage manufacturers to conduct random testing of products. These regulations also require maintenance and retention of compliance documentation. We rely on third parties to track these requirements and retain our compliance documentation and supply chain compliance, and we are unable to control their efforts. If such third parties fail to retain compliance documentation or maintain such compliance programs, such failure could impact our business, reputation, sales, profitability, cash flows and financial condition. Moreover, these quality assurance and documentation requirements are costly to implement and maintain. If any product testing, other evidence, or regulatory inspections yield results indicating that any of our products may not meet the flammability standards, we may be required to temporarily cease production and distribution and/or to recall products from the field, and we may be subject to or , any of which outcomes could our business, reputation, sales, , cash flows, and financial condition.
We are subject to various advertising and marketing regulations that may result in actions against us.
Advertising and marketing of our products are subject to regulation across various jurisdictions. For example, in the United States we are subject to regulation by the FTC under the Federal Trade Commission Act, or FTC Act. Among other things, the FTC Act prohibits unfair methods of competition and unfair false or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. The FTC Act also makes it illegal to disseminate or cause to be disseminated any false advertisement. The FTC routinely reviews websites to identify questionable advertising claims and practices, and competitors sometimes inform the FTC when they believe other competitors are violating the FTC Act and consumers also notify the FTC of what they believe may be wrongful advertising. The FTC may initiate a non-public investigation that focuses on our advertising claims, which usually involves non-public pre-lawsuit extensive formal discovery. Such an may be very expensive to , be lengthy, and result in a publicly settlement agreement. If no settlement can be reached, the FTC may start an administrative proceeding or a federal court lawsuit us or our principal officers. The FTC often seeks to recover from the any or all of the following: (i) consumer in the form of monetary relief or of profits; (ii) significant reporting requirements for several years; and (iii) injunctive relief. In addition, most, if not all, states have statutes prohibiting and acts and practices, and the requirements under these state statutes are similar to those of the FTC Act.
Failure to comply with federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection, or the expansion of current or the enactment of new laws or regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection, could adversely affect our business and our financial condition.
A variety of federal, state and foreign laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of consumer data. Laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection are evolving and subject to potentially differing interpretations. These requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another or may conflict with other rules or our practices. As a result, our practices may not have complied or may not comply in the future with all such laws, regulations, requirements and obligations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any federal, state or foreign privacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations, industry self-regulatory principles, industry standards or codes of conduct, regulatory guidance, orders to which we may be subject or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection could adversely affect our reputation, brand and business, and may result in claims, investigations, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others or other liabilities or require us to change our operations and/or using certain data sets.
We collect, store, process, and use personal information and other customer data, and we rely on third parties that are not directly under our control to manage certain of these operations and to collect, store, process and use payment information. Our customers' personal information may include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, payment card data, and payment account information, as well as other information. Due to the volume and sensitivity of the personal information and
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data we and these third parties manage, the security features of our information systems are critical. If our security measures, some of which are managed by third parties, are breached or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to access sensitive customer data, including payment card data. If we or our independent service providers or business partners experience a breach of systems that collect, store or process our customers' sensitive data, our brand could be harmed, sales of our products could decrease, and we could be exposed to claims, losses, administrative fines, litigation or regulatory and governmental investigations and proceedings. Any such claim, investigation, proceeding or action could our reputation, brand and business, us to incur significant expenses in defense of such proceedings, our management, increase our costs of doing business, result in a of customers and suppliers and may result in the imposition of monetary and administrative . Depending on the nature of the information compromised, we may also have obligations to notify users, law enforcement, or payment companies about the and may need to provide some form of remedy, such as refunds, for the individuals affected by the .
Federal, state and foreign governmental authorities continue to evaluate the privacy implications inherent in the use of third-party "cookies" and other methods of online tracking for behavioral advertising and other purposes. U.S. and foreign governments have enacted, have considered or are considering legislation or regulations that could significantly restrict the ability of companies and individuals to engage in these activities, such as by regulating the level of consumer notice and consent required before a company can employ cookies or other electronic tracking tools or the use of data gathered with such tools. Additionally, some providers of consumer devices and web browsers have implemented, or announced plans to implement, means to make it easier for internet users to prevent the placement of cookies or to block other tracking technologies, which could if widely adopted result in the use of third-party cookies and other methods of online tracking becoming significantly less effective. The regulation of the use of these cookies and other current online tracking and advertising practices or a loss in our ability to make effective use of services that employ such technologies could increase our costs of operations and limit our ability to acquire new customers on cost-effective terms and consequently, materially affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Privacy laws, rules, and regulations are constantly evolving in the United States and abroad and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another. Cultural norms around privacy or data protection also vary country to country and can drive a need to localize or customize our product in order to address varied privacy or data protection concerns, which can add cost and time to our development. We expect that new industry standards, laws and regulations will continue to be proposed regarding privacy, data protection and information security in many jurisdictions, including the California Consumer Privacy Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. We cannot yet determine the impact such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our business. Complying with these evolving obligations is costly. For instance, expanding definitions and interpretations of what constitutes "personal data" (or the equivalent) within the United States and elsewhere may increase our compliance costs. Any failure to comply could give rise to unwanted media attention and other negative publicity, damage our customer and consumer relationships and reputation, and result in lost sales, , administrative , lawsuits or regulatory and governmental and proceedings and may our business and results of operations.
Outside of the United States, there are many countries with data protection laws, and new countries are adopting data protection legislation with increasing frequency. Many of these laws may require consent from customers for the use of data for various purposes, including marketing, which may reduce our ability to market our products. There is no harmonized approach to these laws and regulations globally. Consequently, we increase our risk of non-compliance with applicable foreign data protection laws and regulations if we expand internationally. We may need to change and limit the way we use personal information in operating our business and may have difficulty maintaining a single operating model that is compliant. Compliance with such laws and regulations will result in additional costs and may necessitate changes to our business practices and divergent operating models, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, adversely affect our business and financial condition, and subject us to additional liabilities.
In addition, various federal, state and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies, or self-regulatory organizations, may expand current laws or regulations, enact new laws or regulations or issue revised rules or guidance regarding privacy, data protection and consumer protection. Further regulation and interpretation of existing regulation of cookies and similar technologies may lead to broader restrictions on our marketing and personalization activities and may negatively impact our efforts to understand users' internet usage, as well as the effectiveness of our marketing and our business generally. Such regulations may have a negative effect on businesses, including ours, that collect and use online usage information for consumer acquisition and marketing, it may increase the cost of operating a business that collects or uses such information and undertakes online marketing, it may also increase regulatory scrutiny and increase potential civil liability under data protection or consumer protection laws. Any such changes may force us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices. This could compromise our ability to pursue our growth strategy effectively and may adversely affect our ability to acquire customers or otherwise harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.
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We are subject to risks related to online payment methods.
We accept payments using a variety of methods, including credit card and debit card. As we offer new payment options to customers, we may be subject to additional regulations, compliance requirements and fraud. For certain payment methods, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules and certification requirements, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. As our business changes, we may also be subject to different rules under existing standards, which may require new assessments that involve costs above what we currently pay for compliance. If we fail to comply with the rules or requirements of any provider of a payment method we accept, if the volume of fraud in our transactions limits or terminates our rights to use payment methods we currently accept, or if a data breach occurs relating to our payment systems, we may, among other things, be subject to or higher transaction fees and may , or face restrictions placed upon, our ability to accept credit card and debit card payments from customers or facilitate other types of online payments. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be materially affected. We occasionally receive orders placed with credit card data. We may as a result of orders placed with credit card data even if the associated financial institution approved payment of the orders. Under current credit card practices, we may be liable for credit card transactions. If we are to detect or control credit card , our liability for these transactions could our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may face exposure to product liability claims and recalls, which could reduce our liquidity and profitability and reduce consumer confidence in our products and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We face an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability claims if the use of any of our products results in personal injury or property damage. In the event that any of our products prove to be defective or if they are determined not to meet state or federal legal requirements or the legal requirements of other jurisdictions in which we operate, particularly in Canada, we may be required to recall or redesign those products, which could be costly and impact our profitability. Further, because we do not manufacture our products, we are partially dependent on our manufacturers to maintain our high standards of quality. The insurance we maintain against product liability claims may not continue to be available on terms acceptable to us and such coverage may not be adequate to cover the types of liabilities actually incurred. A successful claim brought against us, if not fully covered by available insurance coverage or any claim or product that results in significant publicity us and our reputation, could result in customers purchasing fewer of our products and could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are currently, and may in the future, become involved in legal or regulatory proceedings and/or audits, including intellectual property rights claims, which, if resolved adversely, could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business requires compliance with many laws and regulations, including intellectual property, securities, labor and employment, sales and other taxes, customs, and consumer protection laws, rules, and ordinances that regulate retailers generally and/or govern the production, importation, promotion, and sale of merchandise, and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to lawsuits and other proceedings. The costs of supporting litigation and dispute resolution proceedings are considerable, and there can be no assurances that a favorable outcome will be obtained. We may need to settle litigation and disputes on terms that are unfavorable to us, or we may be subject to an unfavorable judgment that may not be reversible upon appeal. The terms of any settlement or judgment may require us to cease some or all of our operations or pay substantial amounts to the other party. Even if we were to prevail in such a litigation or , it could be and time consuming and the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. During the course of any or , we may make announcements regarding the results of hearings and motions and other interim developments. If securities analysts and investors regard these announcements as , the market price of our common stock may . We may become involved in a number of legal proceedings and audits, including government and agency , and consumer, employment, tort, securities, and other . For example, several putative class actions have been filed by certain of our shareholders us,
our directors, certain of our officers, and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering alleging certain
violations of the federal securities laws in connection with our initial public offering. While we believe these lawsuits are
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without merit and intend to vigorously defend against them, the outcome of some of these legal proceedings, audits, and other contingencies could require us to take, or refrain from taking, actions that could harm our operations or require us to pay substantial amounts of money, harming our financial condition, and results of operations.
From time to time, we are subject to claims, complaints or litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property or similar rights. As we face increasing competition and gain an increasingly high profile, the possibility of intellectual property claims and other assertions against us grows. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim, we may have to seek a license to continue to sell products found to be in violation of third-party rights, which may not be available on reasonable terms and may significantly increase our operating expenses. A license to continue selling certain products may not be available to us at all, and we may be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology or product lines. The development of alternative, non- technology could require significant effort and expense. Additionally, these lawsuits and proceedings may be necessary, which could result in substantial costs and of management's attention and resources, our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
As a result, any pending or future legal or regulatory proceedings and/or audits could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Related to Employee Matters and Organizational Structure
We may not be able to attract and retain qualified key personnel. If we lose the services of these individuals or are unable to attract new talent, it could impair our ability to execute our business strategy and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our success depends, in significant part, on the continued services of our executive leadership team and on our ability to attract, motivate, develop and retain a sufficient number of qualified key employees, including management, manufacturing and quality assurance, engineering, design, finance, marketing, sales and support personnel. Our executive leadership team has extensive experience in the consumer products industry, and we believe that the depth of our executive leadership team is instrumental to our continued success. The loss of any one or more members of our executive leadership team, for any reason, including resignation or retirement, could impair our ability to execute our business strategy and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Competition for qualified key personnel can be strong, and we can provide no assurance that we will be successful in attracting or retaining such personnel now or in the future. Our inability to recruit, develop and retain qualified employees may result in high employee turnover and may force us to pay significantly higher wages, which may harm our profitability. Further, we do not carry key man insurance for any of our management executives, and the loss of any key employee or our inability to recruit, develop and retain these individuals as needed, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Increases in labor costs related to changes in employment laws and regulations could adversely impact our business.
We are subject to a wide range of employment laws and regulations imposed by federal, state, provincial and local authorities in the countries in which we operate, especially with regard to our growing retail store operations. Our retail store operations are subject to federal, state, provincial and local laws governing such matters as minimum wages, working conditions, work scheduling, healthcare reform, paid time off, overtime pay and workers' compensation. Any legislative or regulatory changes that impact our relationship with our workforce, such as changes to minimum wage requirements or health insurance or other employee benefits mandates, could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operations. While it is our policy and practice to comply with legal and regulatory requirements and our procedures and internal controls are designed to promote such compliance, we cannot assure that all of our operations will comply with all such legal and regulatory requirements. Further, laws and regulations change over time and we may be required to incur significant expenses and/or to modify our operations in order to ensure compliance. Complying with new legislation or regulations could be time consuming and expensive, and if we are unable to offset increased labor costs related to our growing retail store operations by increased sales or improved gross margins, then this could harm our or financial condition. Moreover, if we are found to be in of any laws or regulations, we could become subject to , , or other sanctions as well as potential publicity or exposure. This could impact our business, reputation, sales, , cash flows or financial condition.
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Risks Related to our Indebtedness
We have certain indebtedness and this level of indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate sufficient cash to fulfill our obligations under such indebtedness, to react to changes in our business and to incur additional indebtedness to fund future needs.
As of December 31, 2020, we had $16.0 million outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility (as defined herein), $50.0 million outstanding under the Amended Subordinated Facility (as defined herein), and $7.8 million of letters of credit issued pursuant to the Revolving Credit Facility. We had an additional $2.9 million in letters of credit issued pursuant to the Prior Credit Facility (as defined herein) outstanding as of December 31, 2020. Our net interest expense (excluding interest expense attributable to taxes and interest income) was $8.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Our certain indebtedness, combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could have important consequences for our business. For example, it could:
• make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, and any failure to comply with the obligations under any of our debt instruments, including restrictive covenants, could result in an event of default under the agreements governing such indebtedness;
• require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, business development and other purposes;
• increase our vulnerability to adverse general economic and industry conditions, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors, many of which have relatively less indebtedness;
• limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate;
• limit our ability to borrow additional funds, or to dispose of assets to raise funds, if needed, for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other corporate purposes; and
• limit our ability to redeem, repurchase, defease, acquire or retire for value any subordinated indebtedness we may incur.
If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. Any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would result in a default under our debt instruments and would allow the lenders under our Revolving Credit Facility and Amended Subordinated Facility to terminate their commitments to lend additional money or foreclose the assets, if any, securing their borrowings, and we could be into or . In addition, any to make payments on our outstanding indebtedness would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could our ability to incur additional indebtedness. In the of such results of operations and resources, we could face substantial liquidity and might be required to of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. Our Revolving Credit Facility and Amended Subordinated Facility restrict our ability to of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be to consummate any such dispositions or to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. These alternative measures may not be and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.
In addition, indebtedness under our Amended Subordinated Facility and Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at variable rates. Because we have variable rate debt, fluctuations in interest rates may affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. We may attempt to minimize interest rate risk and lower our overall borrowing costs through the utilization of derivative financial instruments, primarily interest rate swaps.
Restrictions imposed by our debt instruments may limit the ability of our subsidiaries to operate their business and to finance our future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.
The terms of our debt instruments restrict certain of our subsidiaries from engaging in specified types of transactions. These covenants restrict our ability and the ability of the borrowers and subsidiaries, among other things, to: incur additional
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indebtedness, pay dividends, make investments, make capital expenditures in excess of a certain amount, sell or otherwise dispose of all or any part of our business or property, engage in affiliate transactions, create liens, or consolidate or merge. Our ability to comply with these restrictions can be affected by events beyond our control, and we may not be able to maintain compliance with them. A breach of any of these covenants would be an event of default.
Although the terms of our Amended Subordinated Facility and Revolving Credit Facility contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness by us or our subsidiaries, as applicable, these restrictions are subject to a number of important exceptions, and indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If we and our subsidiaries incur significant additional indebtedness, the related risks to our financial condition could increase.
In the event of a default under any of our current or future debt instruments, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under such debt instruments, to be immediately due and payable or in the case of our Amended Subordinated Facility, may terminate their commitments to lend additional money. If the indebtedness under any of our debt instruments were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full.
Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Common Stock
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business and to repay indebtedness. As a result, we do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our business prospects, results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements and availability, certain restrictions related to our indebtedness, industry trends and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Any such decision will also be subject to compliance with contractual restrictions and covenants in the agreements governing our current and future indebtedness. In addition, we may incur additional indebtedness, the terms of which may further restrict or prevent us from paying dividends on our common stock. As a result, you may have to sell some or all of your common stock after price appreciation in order to generate cash flow from your investment, which you may not be able to do. Our inability or decision not to pay dividends, particularly when others in our industry have elected to do so, could also adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We are an emerging growth company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an "emerging growth company" as defined in the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised financial accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the extended transition period for adopting new or revised financial statements under the JOBS Act as an emerging growth company.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the end of the fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates is at least $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (ii) the end of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.07 billion or more during such fiscal year, (iii) the date on which we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in a three-year period, or (iv) the last day of the fiscal year in which the fifth anniversary of the closing of the initial public offering of our common stock occurs.
For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may also take advantage of other exemptions from certain reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, exemption from any rules that may be adopted by the PCAOB requiring mandatory audit firm rotations or a supplement to the auditor's report on financial statements, extended transition periods for complying with new accounting standards, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute arrangements, and reduced financial reporting requirements. Investors may find our common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions, which could result in a less active trading market for our common stock, increased price fluctuation, and a decrease in the trading price of our common stock.
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The obligations associated with being a public company involve significant expenses and require significant resources and management attention, which may divert from our business operations.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. As a result, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not previously incur as a private company. Additionally, most of our management team, including our Chief Executive Officer, had never managed a publicly traded company prior to our initial public offering, and as a result, do not have prior experience in complying with the increasingly complex and changing legal and regulatory landscape in which public companies operate. Our entire management team and many of our other employees have devoted, and will need to continue to devote, substantial time to compliance.
In addition, we have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal control over financial reporting, including IT controls, and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. If we do not continue to develop and implement the right processes and tools to manage our changing enterprise and maintain our culture, our ability to compete successfully and achieve our business objectives could be impaired, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur to comply with these requirements. We anticipate that these costs will materially increase our general and administrative expenses.
These rules and regulations result in our incurring legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations may make it more difficult, and have made it and may continue to make it more expensive, for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers.
As a public reporting company, we are subject to rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC regarding our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, or report them in a timely manner.
We are a public reporting company subject to the rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE. These rules and regulations require, among other things, that we establish and periodically evaluate procedures with respect to our internal control over financial reporting. Reporting obligations as a public company are likely to place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel.
In addition, as a public company, we are required to document and test our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act so that our management can certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404(a), requires that beginning with this annual report for the year ended December 31, 2020, management assess and report annually on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and identify any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Although Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404(b), requires our independent registered public accounting firm to issue an annual report that addresses the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we have opted to rely on the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act, and consequently will not be required to comply with SEC rules that implement Section 404(b) until such time as we are no longer an "emerging growth company." In order to comply with these rules, we expect to incur additional expenses and devote increased management effort. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, we have committed, and will need to continue to commit, significant resources, hire additional staff and provide additional management oversight.
In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2018, we concluded that a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting existed. This material weakness has since been remediated, but additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies may be discovered in the future. If our senior management is unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting, or to certify the effectiveness of such controls, or if our independent registered public accounting firm cannot render an unqualified opinion on management's assessment and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at such time as it is required to do so, or if material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting are identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, a loss of public and investor confidence, and to litigation from investors and stockholders, which could have a material
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effect on our business and our stock price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to manage our business effectively or accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our common stock price and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, the NYSE or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
Anti-takeover provisions in our governing documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management, and limit the market price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or our Amended Charter, our amended and restated bylaws, or our Amended Bylaws, and Delaware law contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition deemed undesirable by our board of directors. Among other things, our Amended Charter and/or Amended Bylaws include the following provisions:
• a staggered board, which means that our board of directors is classified into three classes of directors with staggered three-year terms and directors are only able to be removed from office for cause;
• limitations on convening special stockholder meetings, which could make it difficult for our stockholders to adopt desired governance changes;
• a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which means that our stockholders will only be able to take action at a meeting of stockholders and will not be able to take action by written consent for any matter;
• a forum selection clause, which means certain litigation against us can only be brought in Delaware;
• the authorization of undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without further action by our stockholders; and
• advance notice procedures, which apply for stockholders to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders.
These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management. As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, which prevents interested stockholders, such as certain stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding common stock, from engaging in certain business combinations unless (i) prior to the time such stockholder became an interested stockholder, the board approved the transaction that resulted in such stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, (ii) upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in such stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the common stock, or (iii) following board approval, the business combination receives the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock not held by such interested stockholder at an annual or special meeting of stockholders.
Any provision of our Amended Charter, Amended Bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
Our Amended Charter provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.
Our Amended Charter provides that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, or other employees or stockholders to us or to our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to the DGCL, the Amended Charter or the Amended Bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers exclusive jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine; provided that the exclusive forum provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or to any claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may such lawsuits us and our directors, officers, and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Amended Charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional
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costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our Amended Charter provides that the doctrine of "corporate opportunity" does not apply with respect to any officer, director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries.
Our Amended Charter provides that the doctrine of "corporate opportunity" does not apply with respect to any officer, director or stockholder (or their respective affiliates) who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries. The doctrine of corporate opportunity generally provides that a corporate fiduciary may not develop an opportunity using corporate resources or information obtained in their corporate capacity for their personal advantage, acquire an interest adverse to that of the corporation or acquire property that is reasonably incident to the present or prospective business of the corporation or in which the corporation has a present or expectancy interest, unless that opportunity is first presented to the corporation and the corporation chooses not to pursue that opportunity. The doctrine of corporate opportunity is intended to preclude officers, directors or other fiduciaries from personally benefiting from opportunities that belong to the corporation. To the extent permitted by Delaware law, our Amended Charter any interest or expectancy that we have in, or right to be offered an to participate in, specified business that are from time to time presented to our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates (other than those who are employees of the Company or its subsidiaries). Any officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates, other than those officers, directors, stockholders or affiliates who are employees of the Company or its subsidiaries, therefore have no duty to communicate or present corporate to us, and have the right to either hold any corporate for their (and their affiliates') own account and or to recommend, assign or otherwise transfer such corporate to persons other than us, including to any officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates (other than those who are employees of the Company or its subsidiaries). Notwithstanding the foregoing, our Amended Charter does not our interest in any business that is expressly offered to an officer, director, stockholder or affiliate solely in their capacity as an officer, director or stockholder (or affiliate thereof).
As a result, certain of our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates are not prohibited from operating or investing in competing businesses. We therefore may find ourselves in competition with certain of our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates, and we may not have knowledge of, or be able to pursue, transactions that could potentially be beneficial to us. Accordingly, we may lose a corporate opportunity or suffer competitive harm, which could negatively impact our business or prospects.
General Risk Factors
Natural disasters, whether or not caused by climate change, unusual weather conditions, epidemic outbreaks, terrorist acts and political events could disrupt business and result in lower sales and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.
The occurrence of one or more natural disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, floods and earthquakes, unusual weather conditions, epidemic outbreaks such as Ebola, Zika, novel coronavirus or measles, terrorist attacks or disruptive political events in certain regions where our retail stores, distribution centers and other facilities are located, or where our manufacturers', suppliers' and retail partners' facilities and, in certain cases, their respective suppliers, are located, could adversely affect our business and result in lower sales. Severe weather, such as heavy snowfall or extreme temperatures, may discourage or restrict customers in a particular region from traveling to our retail stores, thereby reducing our sales and profitability. Natural disasters, including tornados, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and unusual weather conditions have in the past caused disruptions to the supply chains and facilities of our suppliers and manufacturers, and these events may in the future damage our facilities or those of our suppliers or retailers or our other operations, which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. To the extent these events also impact one or more of our manufacturers, suppliers, retail partners or retailers or result in the of the facilities of any of their facilities or our facilities, we may be to maintain inventory balances, maintain delivery schedules or provide other support functions to our stores. In addition, the recovery and business continuity plans we have in place currently are limited and are unlikely to prove adequate in the event of a or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any acquisitions, partnerships or joint ventures that we enter into could disrupt our operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
From time to time, we may evaluate potential strategic acquisitions of businesses, including partnerships or joint ventures with third parties. We may not be successful in identifying acquisition, partnership and joint venture candidates. In addition, we
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may not be able to continue the operational success of such businesses or successfully finance or integrate any businesses that we acquire or with which we form a partnership or joint venture. We may have potential write-offs of acquired assets and/or an impairment of any goodwill recorded as a result of acquisitions. Furthermore, the integration of any acquisition may divert management's time and resources from our core business and disrupt our operations or may result in conflicts with our business. Any acquisition, partnership or joint venture may not be successful, may reduce our cash reserves, may negatively affect our earnings and financial performance and, to the extent financed with the proceeds of debt, may increase our indebtedness. We cannot ensure that any acquisition, partnership or joint venture we make will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited, and our failure to raise capital when needed could prevent us from growing.
In the future, we could be required to raise capital through public or private financing or other arrangements. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could harm our business. We may sell common stock, convertible securities and other equity securities or debt securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner as we may determine from time to time. If we sell any such securities in subsequent transactions, investors may be materially diluted.
New investors in such subsequent transactions could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. Debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants and could reduce our operational flexibility or profitability. If we cannot raise funds on acceptable terms, we may not be able to grow our business or respond to competitive pressures.
Our corporate tax rate may increase, we may incur additional income tax liabilities and we may incur costs in complying with changing tax laws in the United States and abroad, including as a result of the 2020 United States presidential and congressional elections, which could adversely impact our cash flow, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are subject to taxation in various jurisdictions. In preparing our financial statements, we calculate our effective income tax rate based on current tax laws and regulations and the estimated taxable income within each of these jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate, however, may be higher due to numerous factors, including changes in tax laws or regulations, changes in our tax filing positions or the taxing authority and judicial ruling against tax positions we have claimed. In particular, the recent presidential and congressional elections in the United States could result in significant changes in, and uncertainty with respect to, tax legislation, regulation and government policy directly affecting our business or indirectly affecting us because of impacts on our customers and suppliers. For example, the United States government may enact significant changes to the taxation of business entities, including, among others, a permanent increase in the corporate income tax rate, an increase in the tax rate applicable to the global intangible low-taxed income and elimination of certain exemptions, and the imposition of minimum taxes or surtaxes on certain types of income. No specific legislation has been proposed at this time and the likelihood of these changes being enacted or implemented is unclear. We are currently unable to predict whether such changes will occur and, if so, the ultimate impact on our business. To the extent that such changes have a impact on us, our suppliers or our customers, including as a result of related uncertainty, these changes may materially and impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Additionally, tax authorities at the foreign, federal, state and local levels are currently reviewing the appropriate treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce. New or revised foreign, federal, state or local tax regulations or court decisions may subject us or our customers to additional sales, income and other taxes. For example, on June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a 5-4 majority decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., 17-494 where the Court held, among other things, that a state may require an out-of-state seller with no physical presence in the state to collect and remit sales taxes on goods the seller ships to customers in the state, overturning existing court precedent. While we do not expect the Court's decision to have a significant impact on our business, other new or revised taxes and, in particular, sales taxes, VAT and similar taxes could increase the cost of doing business online and decrease the attractiveness of selling products over the internet. New taxes and rulings could also create significant increases in internal costs necessary to capture data and collect and remit taxes.
Also, officials in non-U.S. jurisdictions in which we do business have proposed, or announced that they are reviewing tax increases, and other revenue raising laws and regulations. Any resulting changes in tax laws or regulations could impose new restrictions, costs or prohibitions on our current practices and reduce our net income and adversely affect our cash flows. Generally, future changes in applicable tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application could have an adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, and results of operations.
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Valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates expected to be in effect during the years in which the basis differences reverse. We are required to evaluate the recoverability of our deferred tax assets regularly and establish a valuation allowance, if necessary, to reduce our deferred tax assets to an amount that is more-likely-than-not to be realizable. In determining the need for a valuation allowance, we consider many factors, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards, taxable income in prior carryback years and implementation of any feasible and prudent tax planning strategies management would employ to realize the tax benefit.
Inherent in the provision for income taxes are estimates regarding the deductibility of certain items, the timing of income and expense recognition and the current or future realization of operating losses, capital losses, certain tax credits and future enacted changes in applicable tax rates as well as the tax base. In the event these estimates differ from our prior estimates due to the receipt of new information, we may be required to significantly change the provision for income taxes recorded in the consolidated financial statements. Any such change could significantly affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements in the year these estimates change. A further significant decline in value of assets incorporated into our tax planning strategies could lead to an increase of our valuation allowance on deferred tax assets having an adverse effect on current and future results.
We may need to recognize impairment charges related to identified intangible assets and fixed assets.
We are required to test any intangible asset with an indefinite life for possible impairment on the same date each year and on an interim basis if there are indicators of a possible impairment. There is significant judgment required in the analysis of a potential impairment of identified intangible assets and fixed assets. If, as a result of a general economic slowdown or deterioration in one or more of the markets in which we operate or in our financial performance or future outlook, or if the estimated fair value of our long-lived assets decreases, we may determine that one or more of our long-lived assets is impaired. An impairment charge would be determined based on the estimated fair value of the assets and any such impairment charge could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, and results of operations.
We are subject to many hazards and operational risks that can disrupt our business, some of which may not be insured or fully covered by insurance.
Our operations are subject to many hazards and operational risks inherent to our business, including: (i) general business risks; (ii) product liability; (iii) product recall; and (iv) damage to third parties, our infrastructure, or properties caused by fires, floods and other natural disasters, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, human errors, and similar events.
Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover our liabilities related to such hazards or operational risks. In addition, we may not be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable and commercially justifiable, and insurance may not continue to be available on terms as favorable as our current arrangements. The occurrence of a significant uninsured claim, or a claim in excess of the insurance coverage limits maintained by us could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Terrorist attacks in the United States or against U.S. targets, actual or threatened acts of war or the escalation of current hostilities involving the United States or its allies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Terrorist attacks in the United States or against U.S. targets, actual or threatened acts of war (declared or undeclared) or the escalation of current hostilities involving the United States or its allies, or any other military or trade disruptions impacting our domestic or foreign suppliers of components of our products, may impact our operations by, among other things, causing supply chain disruptions. These events could also cause an increase in oil or other commodity prices, which could adversely affect our raw materials or transportation costs. These events also could cause or act to prolong an economic recession in the United States or abroad. More generally, any of these events could cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease, which could adversely impact our product sales. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Our common stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price for which they were purchased.
It is possible that an active trading market will not continue or that any market will be sustained, which could make it difficult for you to sell your shares of common stock at an attractive price or at all. Consequently, you may not be able to sell your shares of common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price you paid for them.
Many factors, which are outside our control, may cause the market price for shares of our common stock to fluctuate significantly, including those described elsewhere in this "Risk Factors" section and this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as the following:
• our operating and financial performance and prospects;
• our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry compared to market expectations;
• conditions that impact demand for our products;
• future announcements concerning our business, our clients' businesses or our competitors' businesses;
• the public's reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC;
• the market's reaction to our reduced disclosure and other requirements as a result of being an "emerging growth company" under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act;
• the size of our public float;
• coverage by or changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or failure to meet their expectations;
• market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our growth strategy;
• strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;
• changes in laws or regulations which adversely affect our industry or us;
• changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;
• changes in senior management or key personnel;
• issuances, exchanges or sales, or expected issuances, exchanges or sales of our capital stock;
• changes in our dividend policy;
• adverse resolution of new or pending litigation against us; and
• changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of war and responses to such events.
These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our common stock is low. As a result, you may suffer a loss on your investment.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, by us or stockholders in the public market could cause the market price for our common stock to decline. In addition, the issuance by us of additional shares of common stock or convertible securities could make it difficult for another company to acquire us, may dilute your ownership of us and could adversely affect our stock price.
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The sale of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of our common stock. The 8,350,000 shares sold or issued in our initial public offering are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except that any shares held by our affiliates may be sold only in compliance with certain limitations under Rule 144 of the Securities Act. In addition, subsequent to and in connection with our initial public offering, we filed a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-8 providing for the registration of shares of our common stock issued or reserved for issuance under our long-term incentive plan. Subject to the satisfaction of vesting conditions, shares registered under the registration statement on Form S-8 are available for resale immediately in the public market without restriction. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
From time to time in the future, we may also issue additional shares of our common stock or securities convertible into common stock pursuant to a variety of transactions, including acquisitions. The issuance by us of additional shares of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock would dilute your ownership of us and the sale of a significant amount of such shares in the public market could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock.
In the future, we expect to obtain financing or to further increase our capital resources by issuing additional shares of our capital stock or offering debt or other equity securities, including senior or subordinated notes, debt securities convertible into equity, or shares of preferred stock. Issuing additional shares of our capital stock, other equity securities, or securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of our existing stockholders, reduce the market price of our common stock, or both. Debt securities convertible into equity could be subject to adjustments in the conversion ratio pursuant to which certain events may increase the number of equity securities issuable upon conversion. Preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference with respect to liquidating distributions or a preference with respect to dividend payments that could limit our ability to pay dividends to the holders of our common stock. Our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, which may adversely affect the amount, timing, or nature of our future offerings. As a result, holders of our common stock bear the risk that our future offerings may reduce the market price of our common stock and dilute their percentage ownership.
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained. Accordingly, if an active trading market for our common stock does is not maintained, the liquidity of our common stock, your ability to sell your shares of our common stock when desired and the prices that you may obtain for your shares of common stock will be adversely affected.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our Company, or if they issue unfavorable commentary about us or our industry or downgrade our common stock, the price of our common stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that third-party securities analysts publish about our Company and the industries in which we operate. We may be unable or slow to attract research coverage and if one or more analysts cease coverage of our company, the price and trading volume of our securities would likely be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts that may cover us change their recommendation regarding our securities adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our securities would likely decline. If any analyst that may cover us ceases covering us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price or trading volume of our securities to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us our common stock, or if our reporting results do not meet their expectations, the market price of our common stock could .
If our operating and financial performance in any given period does not meet the guidance that we provide to the public, the market price of our common stock may decline.
We may, but are not obligated to, provide public guidance on our expected operating and financial results for future periods. Any such guidance will be comprised of forward-looking statements subject to the risks and uncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other public filings and public statements. Our actual results may not always be in line with or exceed any guidance we have provided, especially in times of economic uncertainty. If, in the future, our operating or financial results for a particular period do not meet any guidance we provide or the expectations of investment analysts, or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our common stock may decline. Even if we do issue public guidance, there can be no assurance that we will continue to do so in the future.
